Kinship wins best charity advocacy campaign at awards ceremony

Kinship is celebrating winning the best charity advocacy campaign at the PR Week, Campaign and Third Sector ‘Purpose Awards’ which recognises exceptional and powerful projects that make a profound impact and a real difference.

Kinship’s #ValueOurLove campaign launched in 2022 and calls on the government to increase support for kinship families and friends who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to. Kinship care provides loves and stability for children, keeping 141,000 children in England and Wales within their families and out of the care system. The challenges that kinship families face are often not well understood and they struggle to access the support they need.

The campaign has used eye-catching and creative tactics to bring its compelling message to life. Earlier this year kinship carers marched empty shopping trollies through Westminster to tell the Chancellor they ‘Can’t pay with love.’ It has significantly raised kinship care up the political and media agenda with over 1324 articles and broadcasts helping to tell the real-life stories of kinship families.

It also supports kinship carers to campaign for change. Over 10,000 campaign actions targeting politicians have been taken over the past year and almost 70 kinship carers meeting directly with their MPs.

The campaign has led to the first ever government Kinship Care Strategy, more training for kinship carers, and this year the campaign has helped secure £40 million of new funding to trail financial allowances for kinship carers and a ‘Kinship Care Ambassador’ role created to work across government.

Kinship’s CEO Lucy Peake said: “We’re absolutely delighted to share this award with all kinship carers. Our #ValueOurLove campaign was created by and for kinship carers and together we are making those in power sit up and take notice.

“Children in kinship care have experienced trauma due to separation and loss. Yet kinship families are unfairly blocked from the essential extra financial, health and emotional support that children in care and those looking after them can get.

“Although there’s still so far to go to make change happen, it’s wonderful for all our hard work and campaigning together to be recognised and we celebrate all those making a real difference.”

Kinship’s Associate Director of Communications, Campaigns and Marketing, Gemma Carroll and National Peer Support Connector Janice Santos accepted the award at the ceremony in London from the event’s host Channel 4’s Head of Creative Diversity, international speaker, and author Naomi Sesay.

The charity fought off tough competition from the following shortlisted charities:
The Bridge of Trust by Avidly
Unfairways.com by Eleven for Oxfam
Real Face of Men’s Health by Future Advocacy for Movember
Prescribe Life by The MND Association

Kinship’s #ValueOurLove campaign began in 2022 when Kinship started working with a group of kinship carers to create a campaign to make the lives of kinship families better.

We remain committed to fighting for financial support for kinship families, paid leave for new kinship carers and therapeutic support for children.